For many older homes built before the advent of hot water recirculation systems, lag times while we wait for hot water to come out of a faucet is something many of us deal with in our homes every day.  This not only wastes our time, but it also wastes energy and a lot of water, [...]

HOW DO YOU MAKE 1,800 GALLONS OF RAINWATER DISAPPEAR? With a typical roof shedding hundreds of gallons of water in a major rainstorm, an important and potentially expensive issue arises in many San Francisco remodels: where does it all go? Rainwater diversion can be a cost-effective and sustainable solution. In this post, we will walk [...]

Most households in the U.S. use natural gas to heat water. Other fuel types include electricity, propane, and heating oil. A typical gas storage water heater has an Energy Factor (efficiency rating) of about 0.6, while a typical electric storage water heater will be rated about 0.9. Based on these Energy Factors it would seem [...]

8 dwellings 145-151 Laurel St. Northern Liberties, Philadelphia 2009 The first LEED for Homes Platinum duplex residences in the U.S.A. This eight unit residential project explores the highly efficient and architecturally latent potentials hidden within the traditional form of the Philadelphia “Row” home. The vertical rhythm, regularity yet diversity of this most prevalent residential urban [...]

The design of the Karoo Wilderness Center, located in South Africa, has recently won the Progressive Architecture Award for its sensitivity to its site, self-reliance, and stunning design. Jess Field of Field Architecture describes, “The site demanded a solution that focused on water… and a form that speaks to it.” The design first focused on [...]

On this Earth Day, I’d like to recognize a project that focuses our attention on critical issues and is also paired with the grace of elegant design. Water is one of the planet’s most vital and possibly one of the most endangered resources that life depends on.  Filtration plants come in all sizes and shapes [...]

Happy World Water Day! In honor of the day, we thought it might be nice to be inspired by some pretty bathroom fixtures that help us save water and keep our baths stylish!

 We have been designing large-scale residential and commercial rainwater harvesting systems in California since 1997, primarily for irrigation use in the landscape. We like to consider our landscapes that incorporate rainwater harvesting as “closed loop systems,” as we begin the design by determining our end-water usage.   It Starts with Plant Selection   It starts with the [...]

On the central plateau of Kenya, near the lush city of Nyeri, the windswept arid town of Mweiga stands in the shadow of Mount Kenya.  Locals diligently farm the land, but their livelihoods are beholden to an average of 6” of rain per year.  Despite the lack of water, the people have a thirst to [...]

Comprising 70 percent of our bodies, covering 70 percent of our earth’s surface, and providing more than 50 percent of the world’s ‘renewable’ energy, water is also the ultimate adaptor: evaporating, condensing, crystallizing, icing, melting, flowing and filling, according to its environment. The beauty of water, and its emotional power as a latent energy force, [...]